Is this racist?

Question

If you're white, black, brown, yellow, pink or orange and English, German, Polish, Greek, Asian, African or from the planet Pluto, it doesn't bother me.

But when I'm out and about shopping, I like to have a chat with the cashier when buying my goods. So I tend to choose a till with a white English speaking person because I can't understand what some others say.

I'm not avoiding other people because of colour or race, just because of trying to communicate with them.

Is that racist? I hope not.

When I went to get my prescription, the Pharmaist had to ring the Doctor to clarify what I was told because he is broad Irish and I couldn't unerstand what he said !!!!

To avoid communication problems, I tend to hear them speak at the till first. To increase your chances further, wouldn't you assume there's a greater chance of a white person speaking English? I'm sure the odds would be greater.
I've had to hang up on a call centre because I couldn't work out what he was saying.

A lot of people might be happy to try and talk/listen to them, maybe they feel it's a challenge. Getting all the shopping is the only challenge I want when out and about.

Maybe I get fed up of saying "Pardon", "Sorry, what was that", "Could you say that again" etc... They must be embarrassed as well.

Answer 1

Here's my take on this. I don't think it should matter. I think that there is far too much concern given to whether something is racist or not. If you don't want to be served by a person who does not come from the UK, it should be your choice adn you should not be made to feel that you must question or apologise for your actions or thoughts. It should be a simple matter of freedom of choice, that blessed freedom which New Labour are so keen on taking away from us in all respects of our everyday lives.

Answer 2

This is a very good question and im sure will attract huge debate. A little tricky.

However, there is a contradiction in your question. The first part of your question says you dont care about colour, yet in the second paragraph you refer to a "white english speaking person" being the candidate of choice. This does come across as racist as there are a multitude of people in this country that can speak perfect english that arent white.

I would say dont judge a book by its cover. In theory you would have to know that the person on the till cant speak fluent english, which in turn means when you have items you want to purchase, you have to spend time assessing each checkout to find someone that mets your criteria(which would mean your wasting time on something that isnt important in my eyes). With that in mind as well, you miss out, potentially you could be missing out on alternative stimulating conversation through (no offence) your own fault.

Answer 3

No,it's your choice,and if you have a problem understanding foreigners when they speak english(due to their accents) then you are avoiding this problem by seeking out a native english speaker,nothing wrong with that at all.I can't believe we have to tip toe around in the country we were born in and worry about these things! The English and our beliefs etc these days are seemingly more and more downgraded day by day it's ridiculous.When different nationalities come here they should know they are in England and have to adapt,we are not the ones who should have too adapt to foreigners! This is Our Country,Our Land,Our Place,one that our ancestors fought for to keep English,and for a while now the Government has just allowed England to be treated as a Soup kitchen for the rest of the World.I'm ashamed for my Grandfather and Great Grandfather,whatever would they think?! And this is not at all racist,it is written from the heart by a man who is proud to be English,proud of our history,but not proud of what England has become.English people are packing up and leaving,I wonder why??!? I travel extensively throughout the World and have friends of all different nationalities but in no other country can I name where foreigners are treated with more respect and given more than the natives of those other countries.When I'm in other countries I try to fit in,respecting which Country I'm in,it is ridiculous and very sad.

Answer 4

I tend to agree in all honesty. Ive worked on a till in a supermarket, and its a nightmare when the customer doesnt speak english, and I know for a fact a lot of elderly people would rather go to a white checkout girl, the elderly like to chat, and Ive had quite a few tell me they wont go to anyone other than a white girl.

I now work in a pharmacy and we have a student from Uganda working there at the moment, nice chap, but a lot of customers have complained that they dont like speaking to him as his english is not that good. English is hard enough to learn, but when you add in a lot of medical terminology and diseases etc, they want someone who understands everything.

We have a Polish pharmacist who works weekends with us, his english is great, but all the local Polish people prefer to come see him on a weekend than see our english pharmacist, so its the same thing there really.

I personally dont think its racist, as you say, its down to being able to communicate effectively.

Answer 5

i'd say it's perhaps a little judgemental to assume that the non-white staff don't speak good english. i live and work in south london - i've worked in shops with people from all over the place. and some of the most articulate and talkative people i've worked with have been from angola, zimbabwe, ghana, pakistan, india, bulgaria and the ukraine to mention a few - truly lovely people. in fact the girl from the ukraine loved being on a till because it meant she got to talk to more people and improve her english - i worked with her for 6 months, and the development in her vocabulary was absolutely incredible! and yet with some of the white kids, they'd just talk in some incoherent mumble, in spite of being british born and bred!

it would however be racist if you went in at a quiet time, when there was only one till open, staffed by someone who wasn't white, and you refused to go to their till, and insisted they got someone white to open another one so that they could serve you.

Answer 6

if you said you avoid people with regional accents such as Cockney or with a Scottish brogue, instead of assuming that people of a non-white color are difficult to communicate with, your please that color doesn't matter to you would come across as more then crocodile tears.

But immediately after saying color doesn;t matter to you, you gave us your won example as to why it does matter to you.

Your own words tell us the truth about you - they should do the same for you, but that is not fatal and could be easily corrected.

Diversity is the spice of live - work up enough courage to communicate with cashiers who look less like you and you will find your life richer by more then the amount you hand over to them.

Good luck!

Answer 7

No, it's not. But here's a hint--you may be missing out on something.

Look, I'll do the same thing when I'm ina hurry--but a lot oof times I go ahead with a cashier, etc. who hasn't masteed English yet. Why? The asnswer is that it can be a lot of fun figuring ot how to communicate. And--it's gotten me dates with a couple of very cute Latinas!

My point--don't assume it's a hassle. Sometimes it can be--but if you have a few minutes to spare, climbing over the language barrier can be a way of making some new friends.

Answer 8

Yes, it is racist.

And, believe me, the cashier is too busy to have a chat with you. Leave him/her alone. She has a quota to meet everyday and must be accurate in her/his till.

Do yourself a favor, try understanding that we are a nation of immigrants. They speak English better than you speak their - or any - language.

Besides, how do you know the "white" cashier isn't from outer mongolia or some obscure eastern European country and speaks with a heavy accent.

You are looking at skin color...that's racism...at it's worst.

Answer 9

I have done almost the same thing, except that it's when I have been to the cashier before and I know that I can't understand them. Then I just don't go back to that person.

Answer 10

People tend to communicate with those whose way of speaking they understand. I don't think others are watching you to decide whether or not you are ignoring them because you do not understand what they are saying.